"The first great migration wave was largely European, and much more homogeneous," Perlich said. "Now, people are coming to Utah from all over the world."

Nationally, as the population grows, it is aging and Americans are becoming more educated and living longer. Family sizes are shrinking and people are waiting longer to marry.

A baby born today can expect to live to 77.8 years, according to the census. A baby born in 1915 had a life expectancy of 54.5 years. The population age 65 and older has grown from 4.5 million in 1915 to 36.8 million. Meanwhile, households shrank from 4.5 people in 1915 to 2.6 people in 2006.

In 1915, only 13.5 percent of the population age 25 and up had graduated from high school. That has grown to 85.2 percent in 2006. Utah continues to rank among the most educated states; 91 percent of its residents older than 25 had earned at least a high school diploma last year, Spendlove said.

And, as people earn more, costs are rising. Men today earn a median income of $34,926 and women earn a median $23,546. In 1915, workers earned an average $687.

A gallon of regular gasoline cost 25 cents in 1915, or $5.01 by 2006 standards. That rose to 33 cents in 1967, or $2 in 2006 dollars, and to $3.04 in 2006.

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E-mail: dbulkeley@desnews.com